Red Hostage
by Jomo5292
Summary: When the CBI has to work with local PD to solve a case, things get interesting. With a new chief who has a special interest in Lisbon, Jane and the team will have to use all of their skills to save their boss...Rated T for a couple of words.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first attempt at writing a story for The Mentalist. I do not by any means own the characters, I'm just borrowing them. It might start off a little slow, but I assure you the plot will get interesting! I have several more chapters in store :D Please, read and review! All comments are appreciated.

1.

Patrick Jane waltzed into the CBI headquarters observing the dark room before him. It was quite early in the morning, but it was not unusual for him to be awake. In fact, he usually did not get more than a few hours of sleep every night. Throwing his jacket over the back of his trusty brown couch, he began to open the blinds of every window in the room until light filtered in from every direction. A huge smile lit his face reflecting the light that poured into the office. Linking his fingers behind his head, Jane exhaled as he watched the sun slowly rise. Satisfied with his work, he decided to start his morning off right; that is, he walked to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea.

Lisbon sighed grumpily as she pushed the elevator button that would take her up to her office. Crossing her arms, she waited for the doors to open so she could start her day, solve whatever case that had been pushed off to her team, and return to her couch at home. Her day had already started wrong and she had a strong inclination that it would only gradually get worse. After a spilled cup of coffee, a rather enraged taxi driver, and getting stopped by the downstairs metal detector, Lisbon knew this day was sure to be long. Stepping out into the CBI headquarters, she was surprised to be greeted by a sunlit room. The dust swirled in the air, sparkling as it reflected the light from outside. Already knowing who was responsible for this tiny ray of happiness in her day, her suspicions were confirmed when she heard the tinkle of china coming from the kitchen. Rolling her eyes as she walked to her office, Lisbon could still not figure out why Jane was so persistent about drinking from his own china. Never commenting on the matter, he had always been sure to bring his own supplies from home instead of using the cups which were provided.

Unloading the contents from her bag and onto her desk, she began to sort through them. A voice interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up to find Jane leaning against the door frame and beaming at her over a steaming cup of tea.

"Ah, there you are Lisbon. I thought I heard the click of your shoes."

Raising her eyebrow at him, she quickly took in his appearance. His hair was messier than usual, and there were bags under his eyes. His sleeves were rolled up and it seemed his jacket was missing.

"Wow, Jane, you look like hell. Did you not get any sleep again?"

"Thanks, Lisbon, you look lovely as well." Patrick jested.

Noticing her "cut the crap" expression of which he was so familiar, he continued,

"I noticed some links in the Red John case file last night and thought it would be well worth my time to try and piece the information together."

Shooting him a curious look, Lisbon asked,

"Did you find anything?"

"Negative. For all my searching, I was led to a dead end."

Frowning, she sympathized,

"Don't worry, I am sure something will turn up soon."

"Yes, only a matter of time before I find the exact piece of evidence that will lead me straight to this masked serial killer who has been on the run for several years."

Shooting him a sharp look, Lisbon replied,

"Wait, something's resurfacing…ah, yes, wasn't it you who said, "Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit?"

Smiling his famous hundred- watt smile, Jane replied,

"Meh, who listens to their own advice any way?"

Shaking her head, Lisbon returned to her paper work as Jane focused on a new point of interest. Walking away from Lisbon's office, Jane discreetly walked toward the elevators and poked his head around the corner. A mischievous grin overtook his face as he saw the doors open to reveal Rigsby and Van Pelt emerging. He knew he had heard the elevator chime. They had only just jumped apart when the doors had opened. Straitening his tie as Van Pelt fixed her hair, Rigsby began to round the corner. Jane popped out from his hiding place and smiled,

"Morning Grace, Rigsby. Lovely day, huh?"

They glanced at each other guiltily before Van Pelt replied hastily,

"Yes, wonderful."

Avoiding his eyes, she quickly walked around the nosy consultant and headed for her desk. Rigsby tried to do the same, but Patrick planted himself in front of him. Still smiling, he narrowed his eyes at Risby's face.

"Do you have something red on your face?"

Rigsby's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"What, where?"

He then frantically began to scrub his face and search for a mirror. As he examined himself in the reflection of a window, he caught Jane's expression and stopped. Pointing at him and smirking, Jane laughed,

"Ah, gotcha!"

Rigsby narrowed his eyes and began to grumble as his stalked past Patrick to his desk. He averted his eyes from Van Pelt as he sat down.

Chuckling to himself, Patrick sat his tea down on a table, and contented himself by lying down on his couch and closing his eyes. So far, his day couldn't have been better.

_A little girl with bouncy blonde curls laughed delightedly as she swung back and forth on the swings. She began to swing higher and higher until all you could see of her when she went up was the bottom of her shoes._

_"Daddy," She giggled. "Catch me!"_

_Fearlessly, she flew out of the swing and into her father's arms. He caught her and swung her around planting a kiss on her head. A beautiful blonde haired women joined them as she grasped them both in a hug._

Patrick was dimly aware that he was dreaming and had a nagging sense that someone was calling his name.

"Jane…Jane, are you coming?"

A jolt from underneath him made his eyes fly open. He looked up to find Lisbon staring down at him with a concerned expression. Apparently, she had nudged the couch with her foot. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and began to put on his jacket.

"Of course I'm coming, wouldn't miss it for the world." He smiled.

Getting up and brushing past her, he joined the others by the elevator. He heard Lisbon call behind him,

"You didn't hear a word I said, did you?"

Cho was standing beside Rigsby with his arms crossed, looking impatient with the elevator. Apparently, he had arrived while Jane was sleeping.

"So, where are we going?" Jane asked with a smile.

"Green Acres," Cho replied dutifully, "They found a girl murdered there."

"But Lisbon wants us to rush because she thinks the local PD is going to want to take charge. Apparently, they have a new chief in the unit. You know how she is about taking lead on cases…" He stopped short as Lisbon joined them.

Muttering under her breath, she glared at the elevator which was being most unhelpful. Smirking, Jane wandered away from the group and pressed on the door that led to the stairs. Looking back at the team, he commented,

"Nothing like a little exercise."

They all exchanged glances as Jane disappeared through the door. Sighing, Lisbon muttered under her breath,

"Damn elevator."

She then walked toward the stairs and her team followed. As they descended, she gave out orders, making sure everyone would be prepared when they arrived at the scene. Walking out of the building at a fast pace, they headed toward the van. When they reached it they were surprised to see Jane leaning against it with an apple in his hand. Smiling at them, he shrugged.

"Shotgun." He announced.

Lisbon rolled her eyes and the team loaded up for the oncoming case.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! Thought I would give you a little more to go on though it's very short. I'm definately still in the process of working out the end of the plot, but thought I would keep you all updated as I go. Read, Review, and Enjoy! :)**

**(Again, I don't own ANY of the characters.)**

The CBI van pulled up to the crime scene. Lisbon was the first one out with Jane trailing only steps behind. As they ducked under the ominous yellow tape, Lisbon noticed a man bending over the victim. Noticing their approach, he turned and stood. The senior agent was surprised to see that the man was not bad looking. With his bright blue eyes and wispy brown hair, she could not help but smile.

"Ah, you must be Agent Lisbon." The man said as he shook her hand, "I'm Chief Burns. We found the girl like that about a couple hours ago. Her name is Shannon Parker and she's eighteen. Seems she was stabbed to death. Forensics has already looked over the body and should have their results shortly. We also have a few key suspects already. I assume your agents are here to help us question them?"

Lisbon's eyes turned icy as she retorted,

"You assume wrong. CBI has a strict policy of coming in to take over investigations, not help with them."

No matter how cute the guy was, Lisbon was sure to make sure he knew his place.

Behind her back Cho and Rigsby exchanged a glance, and could not help but smirk. Jane was not so couth about hiding his mirth.

"Surely as many times as we've worked with local PD, word should have got around about how we operate…or at least how Lisbon operates." Jane commented as he glanced at the object of his statement.

Chief Burns turned his attention to Jane for the first time and raised an eyebrow,

"And…who are you?"

"Oh, no one of importance." Jane answered promptly. "You must be new to the job. I'm sure it must be nice having acquired all of that prestige and power. I suppose that explains why you're so clueless on the matter. Don't worry, it won't take you long to learn."

Before the police chief could reply, Jane stepped around him and began studying the body. Lisbon quickly recaptured his attention.

"He's a consultant." She swiftly explained. "We need to know who called in the murder and look into the suspects you have already acquired. However, if we are going to work together, we need to get one thing straight. CBI leads the investigation, understand?"

"Loud and clear." Chief Burns smirked. "Here is the list of suspects as well as the name of the girl who called it in."

Lisbon took the list and glanced over the names, handing it to Cho, she ordered,

"Cho, I need you to talk with the girl. Find out what her story is. Rigsby, get with forensics, see if they picked up anything. Van Pelt, I need information on Shannon."

In unison, they all replied,

"Yes, boss."

She then turned to examine the body once more. The girl was a mangled mess, but there were clearly three distinctive stab wounds to her chest. Looking over the injuries, Lisbon could not shake the feeling of déjà vu. A voice brought her out of her contemplations.

"You run a tight ship, don't you?" Chief Burns asked.

She stood and met his sweeping gaze,

"I try."

"And succeeds." Jane commented while still frowning at the body.

Ignoring the consultant, the Chief continued to hold Lisbon's gaze.

"Well, if there is anything I can do for you…"

Patrick immediately jerked his head up when he noticed the change in the chief's tone. He switched his gaze to Lisbon, waiting for her to cheerfully crush any hopes the young chief might have of getting flirtatious behavior from her. However, he was shocked when he saw the corner of Lisbon's mouth turn up. She smoothly replied,

"I won't hesitate to ask."

She then walked away and called over her shoulder,

"Come on Jane, we're going to visit the family."

Patrick deftly stepped away from the body and stood in front of the chief. Grinning, he said,

"Until we meet again."

He then turned and made his way after Lisbon, planning to accost her with endless questions about what had just transpired.


	3. Chapter 3

**I went ahead and made up for the last one being so short. Hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for the reviews!**

"I was not flirting with him." Lisbon replied defiantly while keeping her eyes straight on the road ahead.

"Oh come on Lisbon, your body language gave it away. The relaxed stance, a temporary but noticeable lapse in your stoic behavior, and of course the dead give-away; a slight upturning

of your mouth. You found the new chief attractive." Jane teased as he watched the emotions flash across her face.

Lisbon quickly tried to think of a cover up but kept coming up empty. Damn, why did Jane always have to pick up on the tiniest shift in her emotions? He just wanted the satisfaction of being right; something which she was not fond of giving him. At least, he had waited for her to drop the team off at headquarters before he had started questioning her. Sighing, she decided to go with her most recent escape plan, a change of topic.

"So did you find anything interesting about the body or what?" Lisbon asked irritably.

Still grinning, Jane replied,

"Ah, your silence on the matter intrigues me, but if it's a subject change you want, it is a subject change you will get. The victim had scratch marks on the bottom of her arms and legs, and her clothes were in disarray. Also, did you notice a certain lack of blood if she had been stabbed?"

"Now that I think about it, yes I did notice. So you think she was murdered elsewhere?"

"Yes, murdered somewhere else and dragged to the park intentionally for us to find." Jane concluded.

Sighing irritably, Lisbon muttered,

"Why is it psychopaths' mission to give the CBI more work to do?"

"Ah, what else would you be doing? Eating popcorn and watching old movies?" Jane jested.

"Precisely." Lisbon countered.

They shared one of their rare moments of synchronization before Lisbon returned to thinking about the case. It wasn't long before they reached the Parker's house. Before they could get out of the car, Lisbon was interrupted by her phone vibrating. Swiftly opening it, she answered. Jane could distinctly make out Cho's voice on the other end. He figured Cho was giving her an update on whatever suspect he and Rigsby were pursuing. They had taken the other car to check out a supposed boyfriend of the victim. Patrick scanned the front yard and saw a police car pull up beside of them. He smiled when he saw Chief Burns emerge from the car. So, he hadn't learned his lesson yet. It looked like the persistent cop was not going to let the CBI do their job. This was going to be fun.

Hopping out of the car, Jane walked over to the chief who was leaning against his car, obviously waiting for Lisbon. Crossing his arms, Jane took up a position beside him and leaned against the cop car as well. Chief Burns glanced at him wearily, and Patrick smiled.

"So, did you know the victim well?" Jane inquired.

"As a matter of fact, no. Since I'm new to the position, I don't know the citizens as well as I would like to." Burns admitted.

Jane studied him speculatively while putting a finger to his mouth.

"Hmmm… unlikely. You seem to be hiding something, or maybe you're just over eager to prove yourself on one of your first major cases. Either way… did you kill Shannon?"

A look of total disbelief fell over the chief, however, before he could defend himself, Lisbon interrupted,

"Jane! Now is no time to blindly point fingers. Chief, what are you doing here? I thought I made myself clear about CBI leading the investigation."

"You did." Chief Burns replied as he tried to contain his temper. "But seeing as how this case occurs in my district, I feel it is only right that I be present while you're interviewing the family. That way if you find any leads, we will be able to help you. Of course, I have no intentions of getting in your way. If we work together, this case will be solved twice as fast."

"Oh, he's good. You had better listen to him." Jane chastised.

Lisbon was boiling at this point and snapped at her consultant.

"Jane, shut it." She then turned to the chief. "Fine. It should be fine for you to accompany us. Let's just get in before they start to get suspicious of us standing in their driveway."

The two men followed Lisbon as she marched to the front door and knocked. Patrick could not help but grin at Lisbon's irritation. However, his merriment was lost when the Parkers opened the door. Delivering the bad news to families had to be the worst part of the job. Watching shock then grief overwhelm the parent's eyes, Patrick immediately knew they were innocent. However, as was procedure, they would spend the next thirty minutes asking them mind numbing questions. Sighing, Jane stepped into the home, and set to work gleaning as much information as he could about the girl who could never speak for herself again.

Lisbon tiredly walked into her office and sat down for a second to collect her thoughts. She stared at the list of suspects as her brow furrowed in concentration. The parents were definitely out. She did not have to be a psychic to know that Jane thought they were innocent; and when Jane had a hunch, he was usually right. Plus, she had seen for herself how shocked and devastated they were when they heard the news of their daughter's death. They had nothing to do with it. She looked down at the signature at the bottom of the page and found herself thinking about Chief Burns. The persistent young cop was a mystery to the senior agent. Sure, she had had to deal with power hungry egotistical males before, but Chief Burns was different. He did not seem to particularly want to get in her way, but he was overenthusiastic about wanting to help her with the case. He was all too eager to provide his assistance. She was abruptly interrupted from her deep reverie when she heard a ruckus coming from the hallway.

Looking up, she was just in time to see a struggling man in between the arms of Cho and Rigsby elbow Rigsby in the stomach and break Cho's grip by twisting away. Running pell-mell away from the agents, he took off in the only direction not blocked by officers; toward Lisbon. Already in an irritable mood, Lisbon did what no one expected her to do. Instead of tackling the guy, which was usually her forte, she side stepped and stuck her foot out causing the guy to trip due to his lack of balance. Hands still cuffed behind his back, he landed flat on his face. Lisbon grabbed the guy by his cuffs and yanked him to his feet.

"Why in such a hurry?" She growled.

She personally walked him back to the interrogation room with Cho following behind. Van Pelt, who had been working at her desk, exchanged looks with Jane. The consultant had sprung from his couch as soon as he saw the man charging for Lisbon, but was now watching Rigsby with amusement. Rubbing his stomach in annoyance, Rigsby grumbled something that resembled "element of surprise."

"Well, that was different." Van Pelt interjected.

"Yes, not Lisbon's style at all. Hmmm…" Jane speculated.

"That guy definitely didn't help himself out if he's innocent. Now, we have more reason to think he's guilty." Van Pelt noticed.

"Let's go find out, shall we?" Jane answered.

Jane quickly made his way to join Lisbon in the interrogation room. Behind the glass wall, he watched as Cho managed to get the guy calmed down enough to talk. Unfortunately, the man had acquired a bloody nose from falling straight on his face. Glancing at Lisbon and crossing his arms, Jane murmured,

"Wow, you really did a number on that guy."

Not looking at him, Lisbon narrowed her eyes at the suspect in question and replied,

"He did it to himself."

Grinning, Jane returned his attention to Cho and the suspect.

Sitting down across from the guy, Cho made a point of glancing through the suspect's file; no doubt, trying to make him uncomfortable. Looking up at the man, Cho inquired,

"So, what exactly were you planning to do once you got away from us Tom?"

Tom only glared at Cho, refusing to answer.

"I mean with your hand cuffs, how were you planning on using the elevator? Or getting through the metal detectors for that matter?"

Jane could not stifle his laughter and Lisbon was hard pressed to hide her smile. Cho remained impassively stone faced, as was his custom. Continuing, Cho pressed on,

"You do realize how this looks. That's twice you have tried to run from us. Runners are usually guilty. You're only making it harder on yourself. If you have an alibi, give it to us and we can clear you of any suspicion. On the other hand, if you continue your silence, we can only assume that you killed your girlfriend and we will have to charge you for homicide."

Pain lanced through Tom's eyes at the mention of Shannon, and he jerked forward in his chair.

"I didn't kill her! Why would I want to kill her?"

"I don't know, you tell me?" Cho countered.

"Look, Shannon and I had our problems like any couple does, but I would never hurt her." Tom answered.

"Where were you last night between the hours of eight and eleven?" Cho inquired.

"I was at my dad's garage, helping him work on my truck. Just ask him, he will tell you."

"When was the last time you talked to her?" Cho continued.

"Yesterday. I dropped her off at her house around five. She was upset because I wouldn't stay…." Tom paused, and then tiredly laid his forehead on the table. "Maybe if I would have stayed, if I would have listened to her…it's all my fault!"

Cho leaned back exasperatedly,

"If you didn't kill her, then why were you so insistent upon running from us?"

Jane entered the room smiling, and quietly shut the door.

"I can answer that." He said pointing at the suspect. "Tom didn't want to get caught because he has a dirty little secret to keep. You have something to hide that you don't want us to know about. My guess, drugs or some sort of break in parole."

Tom looked at the consultant suspiciously. Jane pulled up a chair beside of Cho and smiled.

"Right?" He speculated.

Sighing, Tom gave in.

"Alright, fine. I got into a scuffle with an officer a couple weeks ago. It was nothing really…"

"But enough to get you on probation." Jane finished.

"It seems so." Tom said snidely.

"So, what were you doing breaking parole Tom?" Cho asked.

"I just wanted to get some parts for my truck alright? So what if I went past my boundaries. It's not like I was doing anything illegal."

Cho could not contain himself from rolling his eyes and leaning back in his chair. As far as he was concerned, they were now back to square one all over again. Jane got up and walked to the door.

"Oh, you can let him go Cho, he's innocent. But of course, it's whatever Lisbon says."

Tom could only look after him with a look of surprise.

Lisbon met Jane in the hallway. He held up his hand in order to stop her from giving what he knew would be an angry commentary.

"First of all, I didn't tell him he could leave; I said he'd have to clear it with you first. Second, he showed sincere signs of guilt and remorse which leads me to believe he's either innocent or a talented actor and I don't believe it's the latter."

Lisbon narrowed her eyes at him. Smirking, she answered,

"Actually, I agree with you. I was just going to let you know Tom's father is here to vouch for him."

She then turned and began walking toward the bullpen, Jane followed in a manner of perplexity. Lisbon usually never agreed with him. That, and she hadn't even reprimanded him; something was off. Walking over to Van Pelt, Lisbon ordered,

"Van Pelt, pull up any information you have on Sherry Thompson. I just got a call from Chief Burns confirming that Shannon was in fact out with friends the night she disappeared. Apparently, she was mad at Tom for leaving and wanted to let out a little stress."

"Yes, something we should all do more often." Jane commented with a taunting smile in Lisbon's direction.

Choosing to ignore his jibe, Lisbon turned in Rigsby's direction.

"Rigsby, tell Cho to talk to Tom's father and that he's free let him go when he's finished. Then, meet us in the parking lot; we're going to question Shannon's friends that were out with her that night."

Quickly writing down the address from Van Pelt's computer, Lisbon turned to leave.

"Boss, can I…" Van Pelt began.

However, Lisbon was quick to cut her off.

"No. Not this time."

Jane gave her a sympathetic look before grabbing his jacket and following Lisbon to the elevator.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok. So here is my latest attempt at trying to get into the heads of the CBI team. As always, read, review, and enjoy!**

When they pulled up to the high school, Jane was not surprised to see Chief Burns's police car already there. Lisbon stayed in the SUV, content as a cucumber to wait until the girls got out of school to question them. She tended to avoid high school settings as much as possible. Jane and Rigsby did not comment on her lack of activity, knowing all too well that Lisbon needed her moments of quiet to keep her sanity. Rigsby groaned in the back.

"Is there not any food in here?"

Rolling her eyes, Lisbon looked in her rearview mirror,

"Didn't you just eat back at headquarters?"

"Oh, you know those little yogurt cups aren't enough to sustain a full grown man; especially one of Rigsby's stature." Jane answered in Rigsby's defense.

Looking out of Lisbon's window, a huge smile overtook Jane's face.

"Looks like you have a visitor." Jane teased.

"What?" Lisbon asked, but quickly answered her own question when a tap on her window startled her.

Jane could not help but notice her hand jumped to rest on her gun. However, she was in no immediate danger, it seemed it was only Chief Burns asking her to roll down her window.

Angry at being startled, Lisbon pushed the automatic switch that would allow him access into their bubble of privacy. Chief Burns leaned against the car and stooped to poke his head in. Jane had the strange urge to reach out and push the button that would roll the window back up again.

"There you are." Chief Burns stated, as if he had only just noted the fact. "Are you guys going to come in, or what?"

"Actually, we were going to wait until they got out. That way we would draw less attention from the students." Lisbon replied resolutely.

"Well, the students will know soon enough. Nothing stays a secret long in this town." Chief Burns answered.

"If that's the case, then do you know who murdered…?" Jane began, but was quickly interrupted by Lisbon.

"There they are." She said while pointing at a group of three girls emerging from the school building.

Backing away from the car door so she could open it, Chief Burns waited for the agents to confront the teenagers. Lisbon and Rigsby quickly accosted the girls and flashed their CBI badges.

"Hi, I'm Agent Lisbon. We are with the California Bureau of Investigation. We need to talk to you about the death of Shannon Parker."

The three girls exchanged looks, before the tallest brunette spoke up,

"We figured you would come to talk to us sooner or later."

Lisbon glanced at Jane to gage his reaction. Smiling at the girls, he asked,

"Is there anywhere private we could talk?"

"Sure." The blonde girl replied smiling at Patrick. "The lunch room is always empty this time of day."

The other girls nodded and they took off back toward the school building. Jane heard Lisbon sigh with aggravation and smiled. He picked up his pace partially to eavesdrop on the girls' ongoing whispers and partially to leave the irritated Lisbon to walk with Chief Burns. Rigsby quickly eyed the lunch room to see if there was any food in the general vicinity.

At a secluded lunch table, probably one used by staff, Lisbon began to interrogate the girls. Rigsby was beside her munching on a bag of chips he had come across in a vending machine. After a particularly sharp glance from her, he put the chips aside and began taking notes on the conversation. Meanwhile, Chief Burns was sitting on Lisbon's other side, listening intently to the girl's tale of the previous night's adventures. Jane could not help but notice he was sitting somewhat closer to Lisbon than normal. He also seemed to be high strung, or nervous for some reason. Realizing that he was once again thinking about Lisbon instead of the case, he refocused on the girls and what they were saying.

Apparently, the teenagers had gone out joy riding the night before. After acquiring alcohol from a so called friend, they hit up a party that a couple of friends from school were having. After that, they said they didn't know what happened to her. One of them had stayed the night, while the other two had hitched a ride home. Patrick noticed that the brunette had said little from the beginning of the conversation, in fact, she seemed to be anxious. Putting both his hands on the table, Patrick leaned in toward the girl.

"You." He said looking her straight in the eye. "You know something that you're not telling us."

The other two turned to look at her with shock. The girl cowered under the six pairs of eyes that were staring her down.

"It's just that…I heard someone say that she decided to walk home that night. I can't help but think…well, that someone picked her up." The girl admitted.

Lisbon caught Jane's eye, and it was all she needed to tell that the girl was telling the truth.

"Well, thank you all for your time. If you remember anything else, here is my card. We will be in touch if we have any more questions."

As they were all walking out, Chief Burns suddenly called out,

"Agent Lisbon, I would like to talk to you for a second."

Jane and Rigsby paused momentarily, not knowing whether to stay or continue to the van, but a curt nod from Lisbon made it clear that they were to continue walking. Jane hesitated a second longer than Rigsby, but finally turned away.

Shuffling his feet, and looking at the ground, Chief Burns finally looked up and said,

"Agent Lisbon, I know this case must be hard on you considering all of the key suspects keep coming up as dead ends…but I want you to know, my team and I are working tirelessly to help you in any way we can. If I find anything, you will be the first to know."

Tensing at first with his openness, Lisbon finally relaxed. Placing a hand on his arm, she answered,

"Thank you for all of your help. I'm sure we will find whoever did this soon. After all, we always get our man."

"With your leadership, I'm sure you do." Chief Burns smiled.

This is where I make my retreat, Lisbon thought to herself.

"Well, I will call you when we get our next lead." She said as she began to turn away.

"Until then." Chief Burns responded with a nod of his head; he too then turned to his car.

As Lisbon hopped into the van, she noticed the silence. Looking up she saw that both Jane and Rigsby were staring at her speculatively.

"What?" She snapped.

"Nothing." They both said in unison before turning to look out their windows.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry guys, this is my shortest chapter yet...actually I don't even know if you would call it a chapter. Oh well, it was a cute Jisbon scene I had to get out of my head. I do advice if there are any readers out there who are against Jisbon that you stop reading right here, but if you are alright with that concept, then by all means, continue reading! Please REVIEW!! :)**

Lisbon sat discontentedly at her desk. Cho and Rigsby were out following a tentative lead on some of the friends that were at the party, but Lisbon was pretty sure they were going to be dead ends as well. After all, if the girl walked away from the party with no other witnesses, then anyone could have taken her. Sighing, she tried to think of what to do. A knock at the door made her look up. Jane poked his head in the door and asked,

"Can I come in?"

She nodded, and he closed the door behind him to sit in front of her desk. Crossing her fingers, she looked at him waiting for him to speak. When he didn't, she became impatient. Finally, giving in after a few moments of silence, she asked,

"Well, do you have anything to say? Isn't this usually the time when you come up with some elaborate scheme to solve the case and let us all go home?"

Jane smiled wryly before answering,

"If only it were so easy. No, actually I came to talk to you about something else."

Lisbon saw his face turn stormy as he rested his chin on his hand. She knew that look; it was one that led to uncomfortable questions. Conversations she would rather avoid. She raised her brows at him waiting for him to continue.

Meeting her eyes, Patrick said seriously,

"I don't like Chief Burns."

If Jane hadn't looked so serious, Lisbon would have laughed. Instead, she settled with a smile.

"And why is that?"

"There's something off about him, but I just can't place what it is. Plus, the fact that he has such an unhealthy obsession with you bothers me. He has been nervous since we started the case, although that may be due to you…"

"Alright, that's enough Jane. Just because the guy likes me doesn't mean he gets put on the suspect list. When it comes down to it, you don't like him because you're jealous." Lisbon interrupted.

Jane raised his brows in surprise.

"Jealous? And what exactly would I be jealous about Lisbon?" He asked as a sly smile lit his face.

Instantly, Lisbon blushed as she realized her slip. Looking down and straightening her already perfectly arranged stack of papers, she answered.

"Nothing. I just think you are worrying too much about the chief when you could be pursuing other leads."

With a grin, Jane stood and walked to the door. Looking back at her, he replied,

"Well, if you are not concerned with the matter, then I will let it be, but be warned. I don't trust the guy."

He then left her office. Sighing, she muttered under her breath,

"You don't trust anybody."

More aggravated than before, Lisbon starting sifting through the names of all the people who attended the party that night. There had to be somebody that knew what happened. Knowing she was going to need an energy boost before she started digging through the paperwork, Lisbon set off to make herself a cup of coffee.


	6. Chapter 6

**Another short blip, but I think you guys will like it. I really need some FEEDBACK, I need to know what you guys think. Is it good...bad....ugly?? Let me know by clicking on the Review button at the bottom of the page. Thanks!**

It was late. Late enough, that almost everyone had left the building. Lisbon worked tirelessly over the paperwork on her desk. There had to be a connection, or at least, that's what she kept telling herself. Cho and Rigsby had talked to almost everyone who had been at the party and had come up empty. Van Pelt had checked all of their records and all of them had checked out clean. They had visited and revisited every suspect on the list and had still not come up with anything. Lisbon had urged the team to go home and get some sleep. When they had protested, she had assured them that they would be back on the case first thing in the morning. She needed them to be well rested so that they could see the case with fresh eyes tomorrow. Sighing, she tiredly leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes. Looking out her window, she saw that Jane was still lying on his couch asleep. It seemed the office was the only place he could get some rest. She knew he was being stubborn and waiting for her to leave, but it was going to be a while before she went home. While she was letting her mind wonder, her phone vibrated against the desk causing her to jump. Looking at the number, she saw that it was Chief Burns. Picking up the phone, she answered,

"Lisbon speaking."

"Agent Lisbon? It's Chief Burns. You won't believe it. I've finally found the connection we've been looking for! You have to come meet me, it just can't wait."

"Really? That's great. I'll alert the rest of the team and…"

"There's no time. Meet me at the Texaco gas station a few miles down the road from where the party took place. I think we can finally put this case to bed."

"Alright. I'll meet you there." Lisbon answered before shutting her phone.

Throwing on her jacket, she scribbled a note explaining that she was following a lead with Chief Burns before walking out of her office. Glancing over at the couch, she saw that Jane had still not moved. She thought about waking him, but after their conversation earlier, she thought better of it. Best not involve him where it concerned Chief Burns. Plus, Jane had not got a decent amount of sleep in days. Entering the elevator, Lisbon headed out to hopefully close the case.

When she pulled up to the dingy gas station, Lisbon saw that Chief Burns's police car was parked off to the side away from the lights. Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, she began to wonder what kind of evidence the chief could have found here to close the case. Pulling beside the car, she got out and walked around to the cop car. She was surprised when she noticed that no one was in it. Turning, she headed for the gas station, guessing that he had gone inside to wait for her. However, as soon as she turned she was aware of a soft rustling noise behind her. Before she could whirl around and draw her weapon, there was a sharp pain in the back of her neck. Crumpling to the ground, she exhaustedly sank into unconsciousness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for all of the comments. I am glad you are all enjoying it thus far. I should be pretty consistent with the chapters this week since I already have most of it written. Again, thanks for taking the time to read my work :)**

Jane paced back and forth across the floor of the bullpen. Lisbon was gone and no one knew where she was. As soon as he had woken up to an empty room, he knew something was amiss. Lisbon would never go home without waking him first. Shortly after, he had discovered the note on her desk. He should have trusted his instincts; he knew that Chief Burns had not been up to any good. Why had he doubted himself? Thinking back on it now, Jane knew exactly why he had ignored his hunch, but was loath to admit it to himself. If he told the truth, Lisbon had hit the nail right on the head. His dislike for the chief had definitely been mingled with jealousy. He had let his feelings get in the way of the case. Sighing, he shook his head. It was his fault Lisbon was missing. Van Pelt's voice pulled him from his dreary thoughts.

"Jane. I pulled the background information on Chief Burns like you asked. You were right; there is a connection between him and Lisbon. It looks like he had his name changed four years ago from Jake Hudson to Jake Burns. His father, Hugh Hudson was found guilty and arrested by Lisbon a while back for stabbing a girl to death. I pulled up pictures from the investigation and the stab wounds from the case are consistent with the ones made on Shannon Parker. I guess he didn't want Lisbon to recognize his name."

"So now he's out for revenge." Rigsby retorted balling his hands into fists.

"He worked all that time as a cop just so he could get to Lisbon. He must have been planning this for years." Cho stated impassively.

Of course, Jane had called the team in as soon as he knew what had happened. They had all responded dutifully and were all here now. Jane was thankful for their loyalty. Cho sat at his desk unemotionally staring at the phone. Out of all of them, he had worked with Lisbon the longest and could not stand the thought of her being in danger. Lisbon was always the one getting them out of trouble; not the other way around.

After a moment of silence, Van Pelt stated,

"Don't worry; we're going to find her. There has to be some sort of connection."

The exhausted team raked their brains for ideas as to where Lisbon might be. They had already contacted the local PD about the chief and a search had already been initiated. There was nothing else they could do. The only sound in the bullpen was Van Pelt's fingers flying across the keyboard as she desperately tried to find any information that would help them locate Lisbon. They were all surprised when the phone rang. Cho immediately picked it up. Listening, he thanked whoever was speaking and hung up.

"They found Lisbon's car. It was at a Texaco gas station about two miles from where the party was. It seems that was where she was supposed to meet Burns. The only question is; where did he take her?"

Coming to a halt, Jane walked over to Van Pelt and said,

"Look and see if Burns's father owned property anywhere within a ten mile radius of the gas station."

Van Pelt quickly latched onto the idea and began searching again. Looking at the results, she smiled.

"There are three hits. Burns himself had a house a couple miles away from the gas station. However, his father also owned two plots of land. One of the houses is across the street from Jack's house, and the other is…"

"In the mountains." Jane finished excitedly as he began pulling on his jacket.

"How did you…?" Van Pelt began but Jane was already in motion.

The team quickly followed suit as Van Pelt scribbled down the address. While Cho was calling it in, Jane explained.

"Burns had a distinct odor of pine on him when he leaned into the car. Also, the first day we met him, his shoes were covered in mud even though we haven't had rain in days. Hence, the forest, where the trees keep the ground moist. More than likely the house is near a stream."

The elevator was filled with silence as the team took in Jane's acute analysis. Though Jane's talents had always been annoying when he used them to pry into their personal lives, it was times like these that they could not have been more thankful to have him on the team. Hopefully, they would storm the house, take down the bad guy, and rescue Lisbon so that everything would return to normal. Hopefully.


	8. Chapter 8

**Well...you guys will probably be mad that I ended this chapter like I did, but I assure you there is more to come! Don't worry, the next chapter will be twice as long. But where's the fun without a little suspense? After all, the best things in life you have to wait for. :) (Or at least that's what I'm going with...**)

Lisbon's head hung forward, sagging against her chest. Dimly aware that she was in an uncomfortable position, all Lisbon could concentrate on was the methodical throb of pain coming from the back of her neck. Exhausted, she tried to remember what had happened. Opening her eyes, and letting them adjust to the darkness, she realized she was in some sort of run down house. It was eerily quiet except for the crickets and what sounded like running water. Damn, that meant she wasn't anywhere near civilization. Looking down at her hands and feet she realized she was tied to a chair with her hands cuffed behind her back. Taking in the room, she saw that there were two exits, one in the front and one in the back. There also seemed to be some sort of trap door that led down to a root cellar. Shivering, Lisbon was glad that her captor had not decided to lock her down there.

"Ah, you're awake." A voice said from behind causing her to jump.

The husky voice of Chief Burns brought everything back to Lisbon. The gas station parking lot… crap. So this was what happened when she let down her barriers; just another reason to never let them down in the first place. The sound of him approaching her from behind quickly put an end to her cynical thoughts. Walking around her chair while trailing a hand along her shoulder, Chief Burns came into sight. For the first time since meeting him, Lisbon saw past his wavy brown hair and bright blue eyes, and what she saw wasn't pretty. As he looked at her with wanting eyes, Lisbon had to suppress a shiver. There was so much anger and resentment underneath his carefully controlled façade.

"It's amazing what applying the correct amount of pressure just below the base of the skull can do. It can knock a person out for at least a few hours… sometimes more. Much less mess that way, so you can carry on with your business somewhere more private…somewhere secluded."

Leaning in, he fixed her with his penetrating gaze,

"Do you know who I am?" He asked with a sneer.

Lisbon noticed that he had dropped his southern accent. She wondered if Burns was even his real name. Trying not to show fear, she answered,

"I assume you're the one who tied me to this chair."

His eyes narrowed in a dangerous way, but his face cleared when he let out a maniacal laugh and backed away.

"Always a sense of bravado with you, isn't there Lisbon? Putting on a strong face and all, right? That's what it's all about; locking away the bad guys so you can go on with your miserable life. You truly don't remember me? I suppose you wouldn't seeing as how I was so young then… Does the name Hugh Hudson ring a bell? Do you remember him? Oh, it's alright if you don't… because I assure you, by the time we're finished, you will never forget."

Lisbon narrowed her eyes as he came closer. As his fist connected with her face, Lisbon could not help but wish she had went home after the spilled coffee.


	9. Chapter 9

**Alright, this is what you have all been waiting for. THE CLIMAX!!! I've probably put the most thought into this chapter on how to word things. I wanted to get it just right. Please give me feedback, and tell me how I did. I would love to hear your opinions. I should warn you, there will probably only be a couple more chapters after this one. Maybe three...or four. It just depends. Anyway...ENJOY! :D**

Lisbon groaned in pain. Her nose was bleeding and she was pretty sure she had a black eye. To make matters worse, after he had punched her rather savagely in the stomach, every breath was accompanied with a jolt of pain. He had backed away breathing rather heavily with a demented look in his eye.

"Look Jake…" She gasped painfully. "If you let me go now, we can work something out. Assault on an officer will be a few years in jail…sure, but murdering a cop…you'll be in for life. You don't want to throw away everything you've worked for."

"How do you know what I want?" Jake shouted back at her.

"You don't know what it was like! My father was a good man. He slipped up once, just once and he was thrown in jail to rot. Alcohol is a savage thing that turns even the most respectable men into beasts. That's what happened to my father. His actions were not his own. And you know what happened? He was murdered…murdered by another prisoner. What kind of justice is that? I was left alone to fend for myself. I had no one. Do you know what it's like to be all alone? To have no one there to care for you?"

Looking up with her bloodied face, Lisbon met his crazed eyes,

"Yes, I do."

Raising his hand to hit her again, he froze when he heard gravel crunch outside of the house. Red and blue lights flashed through the closed windows. Quickly peeking out from behind the blinds, he muttered to himself,

"How did they find me so quickly?"

"I guess you didn't count on Patrick Jane being on the team." Lisbon grimaced as she leaned her head back to stare at the ceiling.

For some reason, the fact that Jane's annoying antics had somehow came through to save her was something she found quiet humorous at the moment. She was aware she should be more afraid since hostage situations usually turned ugly at the end, but figured her pounding headache was affecting her more that she knew. He angrily came towards her. Tensing she waited for the next blow, but was surprised when he started untying her from the chair. Keeping her hands cuffed behind her back, he roughly yanked her to her feet.

"Fine. I knew your little friends would come for me eventually. Too bad I have a surprise in store for them. Picking up a gun, he held it to Lisbon's back while he fiddled with something she could not see. Twisting her head back, she saw him bending over a compact device. She gasped when she saw it was a bomb. When he saw her looking, he swiftly cracked her in the back of the head to make her turn back around. Wincing, Lisbon was now finding it difficult to stand. Finished arming the bomb, Jake quickly slapped a piece of tape over Lisbon's mouth and stood behind her while keeping the gun aimed at her head. Her skin crawled as she felt his body behind hers. When Cho and Rigsby as well as several other officers crashed in the door, Jake was sure to plant himself and Lisbon in front of the bomb so that it was out of sight.

Chaos ensued in which the officers yelled at Burns to drop his weapon, while Burns yelled at them to back off. Jane, who had been told to stay outside, could not wait any longer being in such a helpless position. Stepping inside, he stopped momentarily when he analyzed the situation. Lisbon met his eyes, and his world froze. Not only was there pain residing in her emerald eyes, but there was something else lurking beneath the surface. Never before had Jane saw Lisbon scared, but there, plain as day, was fear radiating from her frail body. Her eyes darted behind Jake trying to warn him of the impending doom they were all getting ready to face. Swiftly, Jane took a few steps forward toward Lisbon and held his hands up in a manner of peace. Burns quickly swung his gun to point at Jane just as the consultant had wanted him to.

"Alright, everyone calm down." Jane said looking back at the officers, then at Burns again. "Just calm down… relax. Jake, you're a good person. You don't want to take a life like your father did. After all, isn't that what you want to do? Clear his name? If you kill Agent Lisbon, you will be no better than he was. You will only prove that…"

"Enough!" Burns screamed in a manner of hysteria.

Patrick quickly raised his hands again, in an appeasing manner.

Dragging Lisbon back further still, he kept the gun pointed at her while reaching behind his back to pull something.

Before anyone could react, Burns simultaneously shoved Lisbon forward while switching off the lights. The officers were all left in darkness. Falling forward, Lisbon could do nothing but crash toward the floor with her hands cuffed behind her back. Funny, how the only thing she could think about was how she was going to know exactly how Tom must have felt. Tensing for her face to hit the floor, she was surprised to be cushioned into someone's chest. Jane had immediately sprung forward to catch her. Under any other circumstances, she might have enjoyed being held in his strong arms in the dark, but right now, she was panicking. She had to warn them about the bomb. Jane's voice was immediately at her ear.

"Lisbon are you alright?"

He gently pried the tape from her mouth while keeping a firm hold on her with his other hand. She felt him reach around her to pick up something from the table and he began to unlock her cuffs. How he had managed to find the keys in dark, she did not know; right now it wasn't important.

"Jane…" She breathed, freezing him with her fear. "There's a bomb."

Jane's eyes flashed up just in time to spot the red numbers flashing with seven seconds left.

"Cho, there's a bomb!" Jane yelled.

Faster than anyone thought was possible, the officers ran out of the building recklessly, trying to put as much space between them and the explosive as possible. Cho was knocked back by the officers before he could surge forward to help. Jane desperately pulled Lisbon away from the bomb and supported her weight as they ran out the door. Looking back, Jane saw the explosive only had one second to go and knew it was too late. Wrapping his arms around her, he jumped over the stone wall that surrounded the garden and drove Lisbon to the ground. He landed protectively over her, trying to cover her from the oncoming blast.

An explosion overtook the area, covering the ground with debris from the shack. Jane tensed as bits of brick and wood landed on top of him. He heard someone scream nearby, and winced. After that, all was quiet, as everything stilled. His hearing was gone and he wondered if the blast had busted his ear drums. The air was thick with smoke. Though all was turmoil around him, the only thing Jane could concentrate on was the small woman beneath him. Opening his eyes, he slowly raised himself on his forearms and felt the dirt and debris shift on his back.

"Lisbon…" He whispered.

Her eyes fluttered, before she focused on his face which was only inches above hers. Her eyes narrowed, as confusion overtook her face.

"Jane?" She asked in a manner of confusion.

Gently, he swept her hair out of her face. As his fingers brushed her skin, Lisbon suddenly became hyper aware of the fact that her body was crushed under his and that his lips were only inches from hers. He was close enough for her to feel his heart beating against her own. Looking into his bright blue eyes, she was surprised at the intensity she found there. He was truly concerned for her, and maybe, something more.

A smile touched Lisbon's lips as she said quietly,

"I knew you would find me."

Amusement touched Jane's eyes as he answered,

"Yes, another one of my annoying talents."

Lisbon started to chuckle, but stopped immediately as pain lanced through her side. Jane's look of amusement quickly turned to one of concern.

"We've got to get you out of here." Jane stated.

Rising away from her further, Jane began to take in the rest of his surroundings instead of only concentrating on those which were underneath him. Shaking away all of the rubble that had collected on his back, Jane became aware of the voices around him. Everywhere he looked, officers were crawling out of the mess. It looked like one of the cop cars had been blown on its side. Several cops were injured. Those who were already up were desperately trying to put the flames out with water from the river. Lifting up to his knees he saw Cho a few feet away calling out his name. The agent was covered in dirt and looked like he had grazed his arm. Looking down at Lisbon, Jane gently swept her off the ground and into his arms. Normally, she would have complained, but instead, the senior agent had her eyes clenched together in pain. Jane immediately picked up his pace as he headed toward Cho.

"Cho, Lisbon's in poor condition. We need an ambulance."  
A look of relief washed over Cho's usually emotionless face as he quickly took in her condition. Rigsby and Van Pelt quickly limped up to join the team. Breathing pretty heavily, Rigsby had his arm around Van Pelt for support. It looked like part of his leg had been burned. Alarm overtook his face when he noticed Lisbon's condition.

"The ambulances are on their way." Rigsby breathed.

"Well, they need to get here fast." Jane said with a tone of aggravation.

Van Pelt tiredly leaned into Rigsby, she looked pretty disheveled with several scrapes and bruises of her own.

"So did they find Burns?" She asked tiredly.

"No." Cho practically growled. "He got out in what appears to be some kind of underground tunnel. Apparently, there was a trap door. Some of the officers are checking it out now."

"Well, why aren't we helping them?" Rigsby demanded.

Cho's eyes switched to Lisbon as if to answer his question.

Jane sensed his internal dilemma and replied,

"Why don't you guys go ahead and follow the lead. The best way you can help her now is to catch that maniac."

The team exchanged glances not knowing whether to leave or stay. The roaring sirens of the ambulances made their decision. Jane immediately turned and carried Lisbon to the ambulance while the team turned toward the buried entrance of the tunnel. Jane was anxious about them continuing to work the case even with their sleep deprivation, but had more pressing issues to worry about. Looking down at his boss, Jane was alarmed to see that Lisbon was unconscious. Jogging the last few steps, Jane transferred her onto a stretcher while the paramedics set to work. She was quickly rolled into the back of the ambulance and Jane hopped in to sit down beside her. Taking her hand, his gaze settled on her still face. She would make it through this; he would make sure of it.


	10. Chapter 10

**It's been a crazy week with college classes, so sorry that my updates are becoming less rapid. Though, I do hope you enjoy this chapter as well. I though I would throw in some more "typical Jane" scenes. :) As always, Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

Patrick had never liked hospitals. If their white walls weren't enough to drive one mad, then the constant feeling of being surrounded by death and disease would. He had stayed by Lisbon's side as long as he could until the nurses had forced him to remain in the waiting room. After the initial fuss had taken place, the nurses had turned on him in a general state of fury. Apparently, something had hit his head rather forcefully during the explosion and blood was caked just above his right temple. Jane, who had been preoccupied, had not even noticed what the nurses were so worked up about. When he realized they were not going to leave him alone until he gave them the satisfaction of being checked out, Jane exhaustedly relinquished his attempts at trying to evade them. It had taken them thirty minutes to clean his wound and figure out the obvious; he did not have a concussion.

Sitting in the room, on the uncomfortable white paper that crackled with every move he made, Jane made an impulsive decision. Looking up, he saw the nurse writing out his prescription for painkillers. Holding his head in an agonizing way, Jane moaned,

"Ohhh… please, nurse, can you get that prescription filled now! My head is killing me."

The nurse looked up with surprise. When she saw his pained expression, her face turned to one of alarm.

"Of course, dear. You wait right there and I will be back in no time." The nurse reassured him as she quickly walked out of the room.

Jumping from the bed as soon as she was gone, Patrick opened the door and peeked out into the hallway. For now, it seemed the coast was clear. Stepping out of the room, Jane quickly walked down the hall as he made his way to the elevator. The doctor who had treated him quickly rushed out, as Jane slipped in. As the elevator doors closed, Patrick thought he heard a nurse's panicky voice. It did not take him long to navigate his way back to the waiting room. However, after his daring escape from the confines of his medical captors, he was disappointed to find that there were no updates on Lisbon's condition. Since no one seemed to know what was going on, he could only assume that they were treating her immediate injuries and checking for internal bleeding.

Sighing, he took a seat and leaned back in the uncomfortable cloth chair while closing his eyes. Thinking that he was actually going to catch up on some sleep, he was interrupted when his phone vibrated inside his vest pocket. Quickly retrieving it, he answered.

Holding the phone to his ear, Jane listened as Cho broke down everything that had happened after he left. Apparently, Burns had been planning the escape and had had an ATV placed at the end of the tunnels. It had taken them a while, but due to some quick thinking, they had been able to detain the culprit. Jane was only somewhat relieved by the news, and unenthusiastically explained that he did not know Lisbon's status. Cho and the team insisted upon joining Jane at the hospital. After only half heartedly protesting, Jane agreed that he would see them whenever they arrived. Shutting his phone, Jane let his face sink into his hands. His head throbbed since he had been too stubborn to take medication. Counting each heartbeat that led to a sharp pain in his temple, Jane could only feel that he deserved the pain. After all, it was his fault he had let Burns get away with hurting Lisbon and the rest of the team. He could have stopped it but had failed to. A hand on his shoulder put a stop to his guilt ridden thoughts. Looking up, he saw one of the nurses who had insisted on treating his injury. Luckily, it was not the woman who had went to prescribe his medication. Though, Jane knew it was only a matter of time before word traveled.

"Are you waiting for Teresa?"

Jane perked up immediately.

"Yes, I am." He confirmed.

"The doctor just came out. He said she's in stable condition, her injuries are…"

However, she did not get to finish as Jane stood and rushed past her to the white coat that was walking down the hallway. He heard the nurse calling after him, but did not pay attention. Stopping the doctor, by putting a hand on his shoulder, Patrick faced the physician.

"Doctor. Would you mind if I saw her charts? It would only help to sooth my escalating fears on the matter. Why listen to a nurse explain what I can easily read for myself?"

The doctor looked taken aback and looked at Patrick in a strange way. Jane did not know what he saw in his crazed appearance, but he silently handed over Lisbon's charts. Patrick gave him a small smile of gratitude before taking in every detail of Lisbon's health. Flipping through the pages, the doctor heard him murmuring to himself. A nurse came flying down the hallway and quickly told the doctor that he was urgently needed for a situation upstairs. However, her eyes widened when she saw Jane. Patrick smiled at the enraged nurse and gave back the charts with a flourish.

"Hey, aren't you…?" She began, but was quickly interrupted.

"Thank you Doctor; that should be all." Jane said as he nodded at the man.

He then swept back toward the waiting room leaving the nurse and doctor looking after him with confusion.

Opening his cell phone, Jane quickly texted Cho that Lisbon had went through a slight concussion, she had minimum blood loss, a cracked rib, and had suffered severe bruising. However, with a few weeks of rest, she would be back to normal in no time. Closing his phone, he looked around and spotted the disgruntled nurse from earlier. It seemed it was just his day for pissing off all of the medical workers. When he approached her, she looked up and narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, so now you want to hear what I have to say?" The nurse said sarcastically.

"Only if what you are saying consist of telling me I can visit Lisbon." Jane answered promptly.

Before she could reply with an angry retort, Jane held up the piece of paper he had nicked from the doctor's clipboard.

"Doctor's orders." He declared pointing at the signature.

Flabbergasted, the nurse could only stare as Jane walked past her and into Lisbon's room. Closing the door and blinds for privacy, Jane tiredly pulled up a chair next to Lisbon's bed. She was still sleeping. Checking the machines that showed her very tie to vitality, Jane finally began to relax as he saw her even breathing. Entranced he watched her as she slept. He wanted so badly to wake her and see her breathtaking smile or even watch as her eyes would narrow in disapproval or aggravation with him. Whether angry or smiling, he loved to watch the emotions flash across her face. However, he knew she needed sleep, so he contented himself with watching her peaceful face.

Jane was surprised when the door opened and Cho, Rigsby, and Van Pelt entered. They were all clearly exhausted. Not even bothering to change out of their burned and dirt covered clothing, they all tiredly piled into the room. Van Pelt went to the other side of Lisbon's bed and looked down at her with concern.

"How is she?" She asked, looking at Jane.

"She will be fine. The medicine they have her on is pretty strong and she is still recovering from the concussion. I'm sure she will be awake by morning." Jane answered as he clasped his hands together in his lap.

Van Pelt tentatively took Lisbon's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before retreating to one of the chairs. Rigsby exhaustedly followed her lead, and sat on the floor in front of her while resting his head on her legs. Cho walked forward a few steps and looked over Lisbon. Jane was surprised at the protectiveness he felt radiating from the man. He too scanned the machines, making sure everything was as it should be. Glancing down at Patrick, Cho commented,

"Jane, I think some of the medical staff wants to see you."

Not suppressing his grin, Jane asked,

"And why would that be?"

"I don't know. They seem to think that you lied to a nurse, walked away without being excused, and stole private information from a doctor." Cho answered stoically.

"Meh, it's all a matter of perspective." Jane reasoned.

"Yea, go tell them that." Cho said, nodding toward the group of staff who were angrily marching toward the room.

With one last glance at Lisbon, Jane quickly got up and walked out of the room. Cho sat down tiredly in the chair that Jane had just vacated. He looked up and saw that Rigsby had already passed out and was snoring lightly. Van Pelt had curled in the armchair like a cat and had her eyes closed as well. Peeking through the blinds, Cho saw Jane speaking with the doctor and nurses animatedly as he wove them a tale to mask his trickery. And as always, Cho was sure they would believe it; no matter how untrue it might be. Switching his gaze to Lisbon once more and finding her stable, Cho decided that there was nothing else he could do. Slowly, but thankfully, Cho let his chin fall to his chest, and his eyes close.


	11. Chapter 11

**Ok. First of all, thank you for all of the encouraging compliments, it means a lot. I do appreciate the fact that you're taking the time to read my work. :) I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I do warn you, there will probably only be two more chapters at the most. Sorry for the delay...National Beta Convention. Tell me what you think!**

The first thing Lisbon noticed was the pain. Her whole body was sore. What had happened? Had she been hit by a truck? No, that would have been too easy. Gathering her courage, she slowly opened her eyes. A beeping machine stared back at her. Crap, she thought, the hospital. Looking around, Lisbon was astounded to see her team sprawled out around the room. They looked worse than she felt. She noticed that Cho was in the chair closest to her bedside. He looked exhausted with his head slumped to the side. A feeling of pity welled up in her as she looked over her team. They were all dead asleep. In fact, by the sound of it, Lisbon was pretty sure Rigby's snoring was what had woken her. She would have been amused, but something was nagging her. Scanning the room a second time to make sure everyone was physically sound, it finally dawned on her; where was Jane? She instantly became anxious as her mind flashed through all of the dreadful situations he could be in. Starting to lift up on her arms, she froze when there was a loud knock on the door.

Immediately, the team jumped. Cho even leapt to his feet as if waiting for Burns himself to come walking in. Forgetting their sleepy haze, they were all on alert. Somehow managing to still open the door with three large pizzas, cups, and plates in his hands, Jane walked through the door. He eyes filled with laughter when he saw their shocked expression and he carefully navigated his way around Rigsby's sprawled form to deposit the food on the table. Opening the top box to let the smell waft through the room, Jane announced,

"You didn't think I would forget our closed case pizza did you?"

After exchanging glances, the whole team burst into laughter. Even Lisbon joined in, though it caused her slight discomfort. The fact that the stress from the past two days was over left everyone with a lighter heart. Standing, Rigsby eyes lit up as he placed two huge slices of pizza on a paper plate. However, to everyone's surprise, he turned around and handed the food to Lisbon. Shocked, Lisbon wordlessly accepted the plate. Van Pelt could not help but grin.

"Boss." Rigsby nodded. "I'm glad to have you back."

Looking at the team who was her family, she could only smile as she saw them all gazing at her with admiration. Smirking, she answered,

"Wow, maybe I need to get kidnapped more often if you guys are to treat me like this every time."

They all broke into grins as they dug into the food and made drinks. Cho, who was still sitting at her bedside answered,

"Let's keep it to a minimum."

"I'll think about it." Lisbon jested.

Patrick, who had finished handing out drinks, could not help but watch Lisbon as she happily interacted with the team. His heart filled with joy as he realized that everything was finally going to be okay. Standing, he raised his plastic cup.

"To Lisbon." He smiled.

The team raised their cups in unison and replied,

"To Lisbon."

Lisbon seriously raised her cup, and after a moment answered,

"To justice."

"A fine concept." Jane agreed.

Lisbon looked up to meet his eyes, and was amazed at the warmth and gentleness she saw there. She could not help but smile. Their gaze broke when Rigsby inquired,

"Speaking of justice, did anybody hear what happened at Burns's trial today?"

"Oh, he's going to be in jail for a very long time." Jane answered.

Cho looked at Jane curiously.

"How do you know?" He asked.

Jane gave them a mysterious smile before answering,

"Let's just say I made sure of it."

Lisbon shook her head as she continued to eat. The team knew not to question Jane's antics. They were just glad Burns had got what he deserved.

After hours of socializing and gradually diminishing any traces that the pizza had ever existed, Cho finally stood with a sigh. Glancing at his watch, he turned to speak to Lisbon,

"Boss, if it's okay with you, I'm going to take off. No offence, but I am dead tired and in desperate need of a change of clothes."

"Of course! Go get some rest. In fact, you all need to. I can't tell you how much I…appreciate what you've done." Lisbon admitted.

Walking over to the bed and putting a hand on her arm, Van Pelt answered,

"You would have done the same for us."

They all nodded in agreement and after a few parting words they left. That is, everyone but Jane. After walking them out, Jane closed the door and planted himself in the chair beside her. Lisbon crossed her arms in disapproval, giving him her best stern look she said,

"Jane. You need rest too. In fact, you probably need it more than the rest of us. Why don't you go home and get some sleep? I promise you I will be fine."

"Nah," Jane answered; quick to dismiss her worry. "I will have plenty of time for that later. Plus, I grabbed a change of clothes before I picked up the pizza. You didn't think you were going to get rid of me that quickly, did you?"

Lisbon wondered at his formidable smile which so readily presented itself on his face when he saw her. Shaking her head at his stubbornness, she smiled,

"No. Actually I didn't."

Sighing uncomfortably, she leaned back into her pillows. Maybe sitting up and laughing had not been the best thing for her inescapable headache and cracked rib. Turning her head, she saw that Jane was still staring at her face, his eyes searching for something. Frowning, she asked,

"What are you staring at?"

Narrowing his eyes at her he asked seriously,

"You're in pain, aren't you?"

"No. I just…" She weakly protested, but Patrick had already leaned across her to push the button that would alert the nurse. She involuntarily tensed at his close proximity. He noticed the change in her demeanor and paused, gazing down into her eyes. Looking up at him, Lisbon could not help but recall the way he had tenderly held her in the dark before; the way he had boldly endangered himself to protect her. Before she could help it, she found herself blushing. She had never been good at reigning in her emotions. Of course, her blush was a cue for Patrick to start grinning. Leaning forward, he gently kissed her on the forehead.

"It's only for the best." He whispered before returning to his seat.

Stunned, Lisbon was glad when the nurse bustled in and began to poke and prod and give her medicine. The woman was sure to thoroughly ignore Jane. Closing her eyes, Lisbon pretended that the side effects of the drugs had kicked in early to give her an escape. Even though she couldn't see him, she knew Jane was staring at her. She even thought she heard him chuckle under his breath. After the nurse had left, and Lisbon was truly beginning to feel the side effects of the medication, Lisbon could have swore she heard Patrick whisper,

"You can't avoid me forever."

The last thing she remembered before drifting to sleep was his hand intertwining with hers.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.**

**First of all, let me apologize for the terribly long delay. My computer was "taken hostage" (pardon the pun) by a virus. Forewarning, if the program 'Securitytool' ever pops up, JUST EXIT OUT. Anyway, let me make up for it with another chapter :) The story is definately winding down. There's probably only going to be one more chapter. Thank you for sticking with the story this far! Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

Lisbon awoke as the sunlight poured in from the outside window. Blinking her eyes, she realized it was probably early morning. Hearing light breathing to her left, she turned her head and saw that Patrick was asleep next to her in his chair. It looked like he had pulled the seat closer to her so that he was not even an arm's length away. Sometime during the night he had leaned sideways to rest his head on the arm of the chair so that his face was quiet close to hers. Looking down, she saw that her hand was still intertwined with his. Biting her lip, Lisbon slowly pulled her hand away. Watching his face, Lisbon was relieved when he did not awake. She was surprised; out of all the places to get sleep it seemed Jane had finally been able to rest in a hospital….with her. The dark rings she had noticed under his eyes the day before had all but vanished.

Lisbon stared at him and watched as the sun illuminated his golden hair. How ironic that this whole adventure had started with the simplicity of finding happiness in sunlight. As she took in every inch of his peaceful face, her eyes fell across the bandage above his right temple. Immediately, Lisbon felt guilty. It was her fault he had been injured. After all, he had been trying to protect her. Tentatively, she reached out and gently touched the bandage. Reaching out even farther, she tenderly ran her fingers through his soft curls. She noticed that even though his eyes were still closed, his mouth had turned upward in a soft smile. What was she doing? Her more domineering side immediately took over and she began to take her hand away. However, before she could move, Patrick had reached up and caught her hand in his keeping it in place. Opening his eyes, he grinned and looked at her curiously.

"You...had something in your hair." She answered quickly.

This made Jane smile even larger as he said,

"Lisbon, you know you're a terrible liar."

"I...well, I noticed your injury." She answered honestly looking again at the bandage.

"Oh, that? It's nothing; a mere flesh wound." Jane answered as he took her hand down and put it in-between both of his.

His face turned troubled as he stared down at their hands. Lisbon stayed quiet, reveling in the warmth of his hands. She couldn't stand the tortured expression on his face.

"What are you thinking?" She asked quietly.

Looking up to meet her gaze, Patrick's expression cleared as he smiled.

"I'm thinking that we need to get you some breakfast." Patrick answered.

Lifting her hand, he kissed it gently before standing.

"I'll be back shortly."

As he closed the door, Lisbon sank back into her pillows. Staring at the hand he had kissed, Lisbon could not help but smile. Rubbing the spot on her hand she pondered what had just occured. She did not know how, but something as small as his lips touching her hand had sent a tingle through her entire body. Such a simple guesture had made its way to her heart. No… that couldn't be right. Lisbon could not be in love with Patrick Jane. Or could she...? Getting frustrated with herself, Lisbon threw her covers roughly aside and got out of the small bed. However, as soon as she was on her feet, a wave of dizziness overtook her. Tottering on her feet for a few seconds, Lisbon tried to regain her balance. Well, that was new, she thought. Sighing, she made her way to the restroom. She was going to get out of these hospital clothes no matter how painful it was.

Later, when Jane walked in with a large cup of steaming coffee and a bagel, he was stunned to see Lisbon's bed empty. Looking to his right, he saw that she was sitting on the window sill fully clothed with her arms wrapped around her legs staring out over the parking lot.

"Ah, there you are. You must be feeling better. The nurse told me as I came in that you were being stubborn. I should have figured…"

"Coffee!" Lisbon interrupted as she spotted the steaming beverage in his hand.

"Well, yes." Patrick answered as he handed the items over to her. "Technically, you're not supposed to have much caffeine, but I managed to persuade the nurses that it would be far worse should you not get it."

"Thank you." Lisbon smiled before taking a sip from the cup.

Closing her eyes, she leaned back against the wall. The caffeine brought a warm buzz to the back of her head.

"I am so ready to get out of here." Lisbon sighed.

"Yes, well, unfortunately, that's not possible. You know they have to monitor any concussion symptoms that may be left over. Dizziness, headaches, and irritability are all factors." Jane answered as he sat down.

"Irritability, huh? Does that give me an excuse to be annoyed with you?" Lisbon smirked.

"Actually, I haven't detected a change from your normal behavior." Jane retorted with a taunting grin.

Lisbon rolled her eyes and took another large drink of her coffee.

"Plus, I have nothing to do with your unsettled demeanor. You are just restless because you're not working." Jane stated.

"They are getting in the way of me doing my job." Lisbon said irritably as she narrowed her eyes at the nurses passing by the room.

"Meh, you know Cho has everything under control at headquarters. I'm sure you will be back to gallivanting around and making the world a little bit brighter by putting one criminal at a time behind bars in no time. All you need to do now is get your rest."

"I'm not tired." She replied grumpily feeling like a disgruntled child.

"Well, that settles it!" Patrick grinned as he pulled out a deck of cards from his vest pocket. "You can watch my latest card tricks."

Sighing, Lisbon let her head slump in her hand.

"Just kill me now…" She growled under her breath.

It was going to be a long day.


	13. Chapter 13

**Ok, guys. This is the last chapter. It has been a pleasure writing for everyone. I know I probably ended it different than you would have hoped, but I wanted to keep my story as close to the show as I could. Thank you all for reading my work and for the wonderful reviews. Please, if you haven't commented so far and you like the story, let me know how I did overall! Tell me what you think! As always, Read, Review, and Enjoy! :D**

Lisbon stared ahead into the nothingness in front of her. She had so many things she should be concentrating on, but somehow her mind kept returning to one subject; Patrick Jane. After finally being released from the hospital, things had been different between her and Jane. Of course, if one was not paying attention, they would not notice. However, Lisbon, who probably took more notice of Jane than necessary, did detect the subtle differences in his behavior. It was the little things she picked up on. Like this morning, when Jane had happened to arrive at the same time she had to work, he had politely opened the door for her. This would not have been so unusual had he not gently placed his hand on the small of her back to help guide her through it. Though it had only been for a few seconds, it had been enough to send a warm flash of heat coursing through her body and remind her of all the locked emotions she hid away. Whenever he touched her, either brushing past in the hallway, or grazing her fingers when he handed her a cup of coffee, she always had the same result. Maybe it wasn't that he had changed, but instead, the way she reacted to him. She had never allowed herself to acknowledge her feelings for Jane, but now they were becoming hard to ignore. Of course, he was not making it easy with his flirtatious behavior and hidden advances.

This was one of those situations she would rather not deal with; hence, her recent behavior. After any one of these slightly intrusive gestures, she would laugh it off or completely ignore the situation; continuing as if nothing had ever happened. She could never truly let down her guard; instead, she locked away her heart and pretended she held no emotional ties. After all, if she gave way to her feelings, the walls she had taken years to build would come crumbling down making her personal and professional life a living hell. Sighing in aggravation, she glared down at her paperwork internally demanding it to give her answers. The blank forms gave no advice.

"I would hate to be those forms. If I was, I think I would have been incinerated into nothing but a pile of ashes by now." An obnoxious yet appealing voice called from the doorway.

Lisbon looked up to find Patrick closing the door behind him with a smirk on his face. She pointedly focused her glare on him and concentrated as if her life depended on it. Letting her face fall in mock defeat, she answered,

"No, I just tried. Yet here you stand."

His casual banter was so easy to fall in step with. She could not help but smile.

"Why so aggravated?" Patrick asked seriously as he sat down across from her.

Crap, she thought, why did he have to be so good at reading her moods? Well, then again, it was his job. Looking down at her papers, careful not to meet his probing eyes, she answered,

"Oh, just the usual. Loads of paper work to catch up on, a trial date I'm supposed to attend, and a general lack of sleep."

"Those all sound like problems you know how to deal with, hence, the usual. What I want to know is what internal dilemma is leaving you so conflicted?" Jane answered.

Frustrated, Lisbon picked up a pen and began to fill in the papers, trying to block out her pesky consultant.

"I'm fine." She snapped. "My personal matters have nothing to do with you."

Damn, she was blushing again. Why couldn't she control her emotions around him? Standing abruptly, she moved to sweep the papers off of her desk, but was in such a hurry that the documents flew to the floor. Stooping to pick them up, she was surprised when Jane reached down to help her at the same time. They both stopped when they realized just how close they were to each other. Their eyes met and Lisbon felt her breath catch. This was the closest they had been since the hospital. Before she knew what was happening, Patrick had gathered the spilled papers from the floor and was putting them into her hands. Unsteadily, she rose to her feet as he did the same. He was standing quiet close to her now as his eyes were searching her face. Lisbon turned away before she could compromise herself any further. Placing the files back into her drawer knowing there was no way she could concentrate now, she was shocked when Patrick came behind her and rested his hand on her back. Feeling such a strong internal drawing for the man behind her, Lisbon could do nothing but turn towards him.

"Teresa…" Patrick said quietly. "I think I am your dilemma."

Lisbon was speechless as she looked up into his tender blue eyes. Patrick moved closer until his body was brushing hers and slowly raised his hand to cup the side of her face. Leaning down, he paused as his eyes gauged her reaction. Lisbon froze when he had reached out to touch her. Was she really going to give in so easily? Looking up into his compassionate face, Lisbon found her answer; yes, she was. Close enough that their breaths were mingled, the right side of Patrick's mouth rose in a smile as he moved to kiss her. Just as Lisbon's eyes began to close and Patrick leaned forward to close the small distance between their lips, the door swung open. Jumping apart as if they had been shocked, they turned around to see Rigsby walk in the door.

"Hey, boss I was wondering what you wanted me to do with….uh, oh, I'll just come back later." Rigsby paused awkwardly as he realized what he had walked in on.

Rigsby curiously looked between the two coworkers. Jane was actually smiling with his hands in his pockets, while Lisbon looked down right angry. Switching back to her old self with renewed vigor, Lisbon quickly marched past Jane, making no eye contact and took the documents from Rigsby's hand.

"No, you are not interrupting anything. In fact, why don't you show me why exactly you can't seem to follow orders?" Lisbon demanded as she practically shoved Rigsby out of the door.

Jane sighed and gradually made his way out of the office and toward the brown couch. As he walked through the bullpen, he saw Van Pelt was typing away on her computer, Cho was talking on the phone, and Lisbon was intently explaining some sort of procedure to Rigsby who could not look more confused. Lying down on his couch, Jane crossed his arms and closed his eyes. Letting a grand smile spread over his face, he could not be more satisfied. Today, he had confirmed all that he had secretly been wishing for. A question that had kept him up many a night was now answered. Lisbon obviously had more feelings than friendship toward him. There was hope after all. He knew he would have to work for it. One tender gesture at a time, he would make her see what she was so blatantly trying to ignore. They were meant for each other and eventually, she was going to acknowledge it. That, he was sure of.


End file.
